American Travel writer Bill Bryson may find the ‘fanatically industrious Swiss’ dull, but there is much to learn from this tiny, impeccably-administered country. The latest feather in Switzerland’s overcrowded cap is the recognition by UNESCO of the vineyards of Lavaux, on the shores of Lake Geneva, as a World Heritage Site. For thousands of years this was uncultivated terrain. Then in the 12th century, the Cisterian monks built walls and terraces to prevent soil erosion and transformed the tortured topography of Lavaux’s slopes into spectacular vineyards that stand like hanging gardens over the lake’s sparkling waters. Attracted by its breathtaking beauty, artists, writers, photographers, filmmakers and tourists have been flocking to Lavaux. Local citizens, who are justifiably proud of their heritage, have taken care not to allow its intrinsic character to be distorted by its popularity; and preserved its identity despite the pressures of being sandwiched between the ever expanding cities of Lausanne and Vevey-Montreux. Observing stringent building laws, they have prevented infringement on their traditional architecture as well as been fiercely protective about maintaining the region’s harmonious relationship with its environment.

To celebrate UNESCO’s recognition of these efforts, Verve was invited, together with 179 other media representatives from around the world, to a grand event at Cully, one of the villages of this region. The event was preceded by a food and wine odyssey that started mid-air for me in SWISS, the airline that flew me to Zurich.

An hour and 56 minutes after I board the train at Zurich Flughafen, I find myself in Neuchatel, an enchanting 1000-year-old town situated on the banks of an idyllic lake and part of Switzerland’s famed Watch Valley. (Apparently, when the Reformation movement forbade the making of jewellery, jewellers here started making watches as an alternate source of living. Today the valley is on the global map with upmarket brands like Maurice Lacrois, Chopard and Tissot.)

A few hours later, I join journalists from other parts of the world for a guided walking tour through the cobbled lanes of the ancient town whose pale yellow buildings, made of sturdy Jura limestone, once prompted a visiting French monarch to remark that Neuchatel could be ‘made from butter.’ Their soft, buttery looks notwithstanding, Neuchatel’s medieval churches, mansions and market squares have been so marvellously conserved, it’s like a walk back in time. Enraptured, we stand on a hillock, outside a thirteen-century church and gaze stupefied at the turrets, spires and gabled rooftops that form the town’s skyline.

This suspension in time continues when we troop into a nineteenth-century distillery in the neighbouring Val-de-Travers to taste absinthe, a herb that originally had medicinal values and tastes like our saunf but which was later added to cheap alcohol and drunk in such large quantities that it had to be banned. “Too much makes you go crazy!” explains the distiller, and narrates a story of how once intoxicated rowdies went on a slaughtering spree. However, strict regulations were introduced in 2005 to prohibit the use of substandard alcohol and the ban was lifted, so all of us take swigs of the ‘green fairy’ without any visible signs of lunacy.

Then carrying on our journey into times past, we stop by for dinner at Six Communes, a charming old inn with wooden beams and stone floors. Soft, melting-in the-mouth Mozzarella cheese made from buffalo milk and served on a bed of tomatoes, roast chicken in a creamy sauce, gratin dauphinois (thin slices of potato baked with cream and cheese), fresh salad, an iced absinthe soufflé and glasses of excellent Swiss wine provide a more than restorative end to a day that started more than 24 hours ago in muggy Mumbai.

Next morning, after an equally hearty breakfast of muesli, fresh fruit, cold cuts, egg, raisin-studded croissants and multi-grain bread, we step into a boat at sharp nine (you cannot be late anywhere in this country, but it would be no less than sacrilegious to be behind schedule in Watch Valley), to go on a leisurely cruise on the lakes of Neuchatel and Biel. Skimming along on the tranquil waters with tall-necked, graceful swans gliding beside us, we pass tiny villages, camping grounds, vineyards, wooded mountains and what looks like a toy train from afar...